According to a recent United Nations report, extreme weather events displaced 2 million people during 2018. While no single event can be unambiguously attributed to anthropogenic climate change, scientists believe the the increasing frequency of extreme weather events is definitely linked to global warming.
The World Meteorological Organization’s statement on the state of global climate in 2018 can be found on the following link:
https://library.wmo.int/index.php?lvl=notice_display&id=20799#.XKAUy0clFCU
The report states that during 2018, extreme weather events impacted roughly 62 million people, of whom 2 million were displaced from their homes. In the words of the WMO report, “The physical signs and socio-economic impacts of climate change are accelerating, as record greenhouse gas concentrations drive global temperatures towards increasingly dangerous levels.”
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, speaking at the launching of the WMO report, used the occasion to remind global leaders of the urgency of the climate emergency. Guterres has convened a climate summit meeting scheduled for September 23, 2019, and referring to the meeting, he said: “Don’t come with a speech, come with a plan. This is what science says is needed. It is what young people around the globe are rightfully demanding.” Two weeks previously, on March 15, one and a half million students from more that 130 countries had skipped school to participate in the largest climate demonstration in history, demanding action to save the future from the threat of catastrophic climate change.
The tragic floods in Iran
The recent tragic flood disasters in Iran are an example of the socio-economic impact of extreme weather events. Besides causing numerous deaths, the floods also inflicted economic damage amounting to hundreds of millions of dollars. Below is a link to a BBC video which can give us some understanding of the tragedy.
Books discussing the climate emergency
http://eacpe.org/app/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Saving-the-Future-John-Scales-Avery.pdf
http://eacpe.org/about-john-scales-avery/
John Scales Avery is a theoretical chemist at the University of Copenhagen. He is noted for his books and research publications in quantum chemistry, thermodynamics, evolution, and history of science. His 2003 book Information Theory and Evolution set forth the view that the phenomenon of life, including its origin, evolution, as well as human cultural evolution, has its background situated in the fields of thermodynamics, statistical mechanics, and information theory. Since 1990 he has been the Chairman of the Danish National Group of Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs. Between 2004 and 2015 he also served as Chairman of the Danish Peace Academy. He founded the Journal of Bioenergetics and Biomembranes, and was for many years its Managing Editor. He also served as Technical Advisor to the World Health Organization, Regional Office for Europe (19881997).
http://www.fredsakademiet.dk/ordbog/aord/a220.htm. He can be reached at avery.john.s@gmail.com. To know more about his works visit this link. http://eacpe.org/about-john-scales-avery/
